More than Just Me

#ModernClassics: The Other books of the bestsellers

Most of the great authors have more than one amazing book in them. But many authors are known for only one or two of their bestsellers and many of their other great work ends up in the piles in library and in the homes of few admirers. But thanks to the modern classics series by Penguin, I came across the amazing other books of the bestselling authors:

1. Burmese Days by George Orwell:

George Orwell made name for himself with the great books like Animal farm and 1984 but his debut novel, Burmese days is unnoticed by many readers. Set in Burma during British Occupancy, the book brings out interesting characters from Oriental world and the divide between the east and the west. Orwell himself served as a sepoy in the British East India Company and was positioned in Burma. Though the point of view of the author is western in every aspect but the detail of local life shows that what Orwell is actually capable of.

Jack Kerouac had an interesting writing career. Though his peers made more money and critical fame than he did, but this did not stop Jack from writing amazing books. His book, On the Road is the most popular of all his books. He also managed to sell the movie rights for it.

3. The tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Vintage cover of the Tales of the Jazz Age

This is the collection of the short stories by F Scott Fitzgerald . These stories were written for literary magazines of that era that became popular. He used to fondly called writing for these magazines as whoring but had little or no option to survive without them. One of the stories, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was also adopted for the major Hollywood Film featuring Brat Pitt.

Movie poster of the Curious Case of Benjamin Button

4. Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway

There is hardly any writing or literary cour that does not mention Ernest Hemingway. His writings has shaped the craft of modern literature and one can see his influence in the preceding writers. In this book, he brings stories from the continental towns and villages, focusing on the man on job or in play. This book demonstrate the literary display of Hemingway’s craft.

This is the last post of the modern classics series. Hope you enjoyed it. Here are the other posts from the series:

Thank you for your comment. I have not read The Road to Wigan Pier. I was very tempted to go for it- specially after reading Down and Out in Paris & London. The honesty and detail of Orwell’s narration was different from his better known books like Animal Farm and 1984.

After your recommendation, I will surely read The Road to Wigan Pier. 🙂